Essential Apps to install on a new Android device

With more than 1.3 million apps (January 2015) available, Google Play offers a big selection of apps for your Android phone or tablet. It does not matter if you want to play some cool games, need some assistance to lose weight or want to find a new significant other, there’s probably an app for nearly everything. But which apps should you download before anything else? We’ve created a list of 5 essential apps to install on your shiny new Android device first.

SwiftKey – The best keyword app

Do you use your Android device to type a lot? How about a keyword that learns from your typing behaviour, adapts to multiple languages while providing you with perfect suggestions for the next word (even Emojis!) ? SwiftKey is the perfect app for that. It replaces your regular keyboard and will very likely improve your typing experience. You can decide whether you want to type or swipe from letter to letter to type your text. The app comes for free and only charges for additional themes. You should definitely give it a try!

Google Messenger – The best app for your text messages

While there are many ways to send messages on your phone, text messages are still pretty common, especially due to the cross-device compatibility. Your texting partner might still have the oldest flip-phone in existence (hi mom!), text messages will still work with this one. If you like Google’s Material Design, Messenger is the perfect app for you. It combines great design, Emoji support, picture and video sharing as well as voice messages. You can download the app for free on Google Play.

Dropbox – Store your files, photos and videos in the cloud

Dropbox is a cloud storage provider which integrates perfectly with Android. There are multiple clients for basically every operating system and, of course, you can also access your securely stored stuff using a web browser. But why would it put this on a essential Android app list? It’s quite easy: The app automatically uploads your videos and picture to the cloud, making it really convenient to access them on your computer. In addition to that, you can always access your important files on-the-go. The app comes for free but with a limited amount of space (but we’ve got you covered with that).

Pushbullet – Make your devices work together

iOS and Mac OSX are known to work pretty well together. Unfortunately, Google has to deal with many different operating systems which makes the whole thing a little more trickier. With Pushbullet, you’re able to see your Android notifications such as calls, text messages (or anything else) on your Computer. In addition to that, you can also easily share files and links across devices. As with the other apps, Pushbullet is available for free on Google Play.

A custom launcher

A launcher replaces the look and feel of your Android device and adds many cool features like gestures or themes – completely transforming the way you use your phone or tablet. There are many launchers available on Google Play, so I would recommend you to have a look at our in-depth Android launcher guide.